The invention is related to a device for hand carrying bulky or cumbersome items, particularly heavy elongated items that are preferably to be carried in their longtudinally vertical position. The hand carrier device of this invention was devised for carrying conventional gas cylinder tanks such as oxygen tanks, acetylene tanks and other such storage cylinders for liquids or gases. However, the hand carrier device is adaptable for carrying other articles of similar configuration, and for example is useful in moving and setting heavy concrete highway guard rail posts of either circular or square cross section.
The hand carrier device was devised to solve a problem in transporting cylinder tanks where the conventional wheeled hand truck or dolly was unable to operate, either because the terrain was untraversable or because the tank had to be lifted, for example, in loading. Because it is preferred that such tanks be carried in a longitudinally vertical position, and in numbers be storable in a standing flank to flank arrangement, a convenient and utilitarian carrying device had to be capable of firmly attaching to the relatively smooth outer surface of the cylindrical tank, and be easily removeable therefrom, in order to avoid interfering projections such as fixed handles.
Additionally, because the tanks vary in diameter, the carrying device had to be adaptable for equally convenient use for any of a variety of tank sizes and weights.
The hand carrier device of this invention adequately solves these problems, and as noted previously, is adaptable for hand transport of a variety of other articles including articles of different configuration than cylinder tanks.